A Sense Of Loss
by OublietteVII
Summary: A 'what if' that takes place after episode 5. How would Rainbow Dash react to finding out about Gilda bullying Fluttershy? And what if she couldn't find her gentle friend to fix things? Mild FlutterDash. Oneshot.


**DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'MLP: FiM'. All rights belong to Lauren Faust and Hasbro. I only own this story. Thank you.**

**A Sense Of Loss  
**

It was another day in Ponyville. The skies were clear, with only a few fluffy white clouds scattered across its blue expanse. The weather was stable and the schedules were relatively empty, ensuring peace and relaxation among the population and neighboring nature. It was a great day to just kick back, rest your hooves, maybe chat with a friend.

And that's just what one pony was doing out in the grassy fields. Leaning back on a low-lying cloud, Rainbow Dash was enjoying the scenery. No tomfoolery or pranks were on the agenda for today.

It had been nearly a week since the party for her former friend, Gilda the Griffon. After that disaster of a revelation, Rainbow had been keeping something of a low profile, which wasn't her normal routine. But she couldn't help feeling just a bit guilty over what had happened. Although she'd apologized, she couldn't shake the idea that something was a little off-kilter.

Going over it again and again in her mind however, she couldn't figure out what exactly was so out of place or wrong. Deciding that sky gazing was getting boring, Rainbow sat up, stretching her wings and shaking out her mane. She'd been sitting around here for a while now. She felt like doing some flying perhaps, but...

She didn't want to be alone. She was hoping for some close company while soaring through the skies. But with Gilda out of the picture and most of her friends being bound to the ground, it looked like she was going solo.

Unless...

"Hey, that's an idea!" Even if she'd have to keep the pace down, slow company was better than no company at all. And besides, she hadn't seen the mare in a good few days, so what better way to check up on her than by asking her out for a fly date?

_I'll go and see Fluttershy_, Rainbow thought to herself, as she rose up into the air, then shot off towards the woods, where her friend's home was located. If there was anyone who she didn't have to worry about holding a grudge, it was Fluttershy. Her sweet, gentle mannered friend wasn't capable of such a negative action.

_And who knows? Maybe I'll finally be able to talk some sense into her, and get her to loosen up with me. We might be able to manage a few tricks here and there, a loop-de-loop or something._

At long last, she reached Fluttershy's cottage. Taking a few quick, deep breaths to steady herself-when had she gotten so nervous?-Rainbow Dash lifted her hoof, and proceeded to knock on the door.

There was silence, aside from the occasional rustle of a nearby leaf in the bushes, and the light chirping of a bird in the trees. Rainbow knocked again, a bit louder this time. Maybe Fluttershy was napping-something she didn't usually do, but was it really an impossible thought? Those animals she worked with could be quite a handful at times.

"Fluttershy! Hey Fluttershy, open up! It's Rainbow Dash!" Stomping her hooves into the ground, Rainbow let out a huff. It didn't usually take her friend this long to answer. Was she in a deep sleep, perhaps? Or was she just busy?

"Rainbow Dash? Hey, long time no see, sugar cube!" A familiar drawl filtered into her ears then, and she stopped her pounding at once, to look in the direction of the voice. There, standing on the path leading into town was Applejack, with two buckets of apples at her sides.

The orange Earth pony was now looking at her friend in bemusement. "If you're lookin' for Fluttershy, she ain't there." At this, Rainbow's ears perked, and she zoomed up to Applejack's face. That was unexpected. "What?"

Applejack tilted her head. "You alright? I've never seen you this excited, sugar cube. Well, not unless it's over something flying related." She took a step back, to give herself some air to breathe, and looked towards the town. "But if you're lookin' fer Fluttershy, she went out. I ran into her myself this morning, when I was headin' out to town to set up the seller's kiosk. Came back 'cause I actually forgot something, and didn't realize it until later. Figured I may as well grab a few extra apples too, just in case today's a good day fer selling." She chuckled. "But I think she was goin' into town to pick up a few things fer her critter friends."

Rainbow was thankful to hear this. Looks like she'd been barking up the wrong tree after all. Fluttershy wasn't even at home! "Thanks, Applejack! I'll see you later!" With that, the powder blue Pegasus bolted off, in the direction of Ponyville. Applejack shook her head.

"Wonder if she hit her head while flying? Never seen her act so wired over that pony before...maybe there's somethin' critter related that she's gotta talk to her for?" The mare resumed her trot towards the town as well. _Or perhaps she's...heh. I wouldn't claim to be no expert there._

"Alright, I'm here! Now, to find Fluttershy!" Hovering in the town square, Rainbow Dash proceeded to scan the area for the familiar sight of a creamy yellow Pegasus pony with a cotton candy pink mane. She wouldn't be too hard to pick out. After all, how could Rainbow forget someone like her? A strange heat began to rise in her cheeks.

_She's a good friend! That's all!_ Brushing it off, Rainbow began scouring the stands and kiosks, looking for Fluttershy at all the obvious stops. But she couldn't find her anywhere. She wasn't picking up vegetables, or bird seed, or rodent pellets, or...

_Alright. So, she's not out here._ She took a deep breath. _Maybe she finished shopping and went somewhere to grab a bite to eat? Or, she could be with one of our other friends-Applejack's already seen her, after all. So it's not unlikely that someone else could've spotted her, too?_ The mare considered this thought for a few moments.

This time, she headed in the direction of Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie was working there today, and Fluttershy could have stepped in to pick up a snack. She'd ask the pink pony if she'd seen her while on duty.

For some reason, Rainbow's chest was tight. She forced the muscles to unclench, putting on a smile as anxious as she was. Where was all this anxiety coming from, anyway? She was just looking for her Flu-erm, her best friend. Everything would be fine. Yes. Then, she could stop with all the mini drama.

**…...**

"Okay. So...she _was_ at Sugarcube Corner, but she left a little while ago, in the direction of the dress shop! Easy as pie!"

Rainbow Dash had arrived at the bakery, to be nearly bowled over by a very enthusiastic Pinkie Pie. The bouncy mare had been trying to shove pastel colored confections into her mouth for a good few minutes before Rainbow had managed to blurt out that she wasn't there to chow down, but was looking for Fluttershy, and hadn't seen her since the party. That was when Pinkie's eyes had widened to the size of saucers.

"What? What is it, Pinkie? Do you know where Fluttershy is?"

"Well..." The pink pony took a big, deep breath, as she started her train of rambling. "I never told you this, and obviously, she never told you, but you see, when Gilda was still in town, before the party was all organized and stuff, I saw Fluttershy in town, and she ran into Gilda and they kind of, well I mean, Fluttershy bumped into her accidentally, and Gilda made her cry by totally chewing her out, which was really uncalled for, 'cause Fluttershy apologized and everything, but she-"

"Wait, wait, wait. Back up." Now Rainbow was on the alert. She was trying to process this information as best as she could, ignoring the fact that it had all been blurted out in one gigantic heap of words. "Did you say that _Gilda_ made _Fluttershy_ cry? _Fluttershy_? As in, would _never_ hurt _anypony_ Fluttershy? Loves nature and all living creatures Fluttershy?" _My closest companion Fluttershy? Grew-up-with-me-in-Cloudsdale-Fluttershy?_

"Yep!" Pinkie then realized that she might have sounded a bit too cheerful there, so she cleared her throat and tried again. "I mean, yes. She did."

Rainbow was now on her way towards the Carousel Boutique. The object of finding Fluttershy had been elevated, from a minor task to an emergency. All this time, and she'd had no clue of what Gilda's visit had really done. She'd been worried that there may have been serious repercussions following her outburst, but this? Was way worse than anything she could've imagined. Of all ponies, Fluttershy was the one who'd been hurt...!

Sure, Fluttershy was sensitive. And she was a bit on the slow side. She liked to take things easy, something Rainbow wasn't used to, unless she was napping. Napping didn't really seem to exist in Fluttershy's vocabulary, though-she was always busy with her animals, helping them travel or heal, feeding them or what have you. So maybe she just wasn't used to the same break-neck activities that Rainbow was.

But when it came down to it, Fluttershy was Rainbow's oldest and closest friend. She may have known Gilda from that one specialty flying camp, but she'd gone to regular flying camp and school with the pink haired Pegasus. She'd stood up for her when the other ponies had made fun of her for not being able to fly-come to think of it, Rainbow had been battling her own demons of flight at the same time, too. That wasn't the point here, though.

The point was, Fluttershy was always there for anypony who needed her. She'd been there to support Rainbow Dash in her own special ways since they'd first met. Even as timid as she was, she still pushed herself to the limits to do what needed to be done. Where and when it truly counted, Fluttershy was one of the gutsiest ponies Rainbow knew. She'd gone after the Elements in the Everfree forest and faced off against the Manticore, after all.

When she really thought about it, despite all her hangups, Rainbow Dash would never want Fluttershy to change. And she certainly didn't want to lose her, especially not over something like a bad character judgment. Detailed apologies weren't her strong point, but for Fluttershy? She'd make an exception. Briefly, she had to wonder if she'd go this far for any other pony. What was the difference between Fluttershy and anypony else?

Her fuchsia eyes narrowed. _It's **because** it's Fluttershy that I'm willing to go this far. There's no one else like her around._ With that, she picked up speed and continued her course to the dress shop.

She knew that Rarity and Fluttershy were pretty close as well-though not as close as she herself was to the Pegasus-and, on occasion, Fluttershy would stop by her place, either to help out with her cat Opal, or to model her clothes.

Hmm, now that she considered the idea, Fluttershy would be a very cute model, what with that pale coat of hers and those pink locks that fell into her eyes just so, though she'd definitely need a confidence boost to get in front of those audiences and cameras, but on the other hand, her shyness was adorably endearing and all a part of who she was, so-

_Wait. A. Minute! I am **not** having those kinds of thoughts here!_ Again with the heated cheeks. Rainbow had to swerve at the last second, to avoid nearly crashing into a house roof. She decided to dip lower, and do a moderate zoom above the ground, to avoid any more possible catastrophes like that one. She really didn't want to spend time explaining away collateral damage to the residents of the town, when she should be searching for her _good friend_ Fluttershy, to fix the mess she'd unexpectedly wound up in.

_That's it. That's all it is! I swear, maybe being up in the clouds all the time is finally getting to me. Sheesh._ Spying the boutique a few yards ahead, Rainbow prepared to make her grand entrance. Hopefully, she wouldn't break anything, but with how on edge she currently felt, she couldn't guarantee it. But if she had to explain herself, looking for a friend who she may or may not have emotionally damaged was as good an excuse as any.

The door banged back against the wall, and Rainbow just managed to skid to a stop on the floor, missing the dress stands by a few inches. "Rarity! Oi, Rarity! Are you here?" There were materials scattered about the tables and floor; was Rarity in one of her creative moods? Or perhaps...she was doing a fitting in the back with cute model Flu-ah, with her willing friend and sometimes model, Fluttershy?

However, when the white Unicorn stepped out from the rear of the shop, red spectacles perched on the bridge of her nose as she held a rolled up dress design in front of her face with magic, she did so alone. Rainbow let out a groan, as Rarity took in her frazzled state. Placing the sketch down on the nearest table, she adjusted her glasses. "Why Rainbow dear, whatever is the matter? You look so stressed!"

The mare shook a few stray strands of multicolored hair from her eyes, looking around the shop dejectedly. "So, you're here by yourself?"

"Yes, aside from Opal." As if on cue, the fluffy cat let out a faint meow, apparently from beneath a pile of fabrics and yarn off to Rainbow's right. "Though she is proving to be a big help with holding onto my materials." Another pained mewl. "Fluttershy was here earlier, but she-"

Now Rainbow was an inch from Rarity's face. "She was? Do you have any idea where she went?"

"Well, yes. She said that she was going to visit a few shops, make a few calls, and then head on to the lake. Why, whatever is the matter?" Rarity looked concerned, taking Rainbow's energy and disheveled state to mean that something was wrong. "Is there a problem of some sort? Do you need help?" She was ready to put down her dress plans if it meant assisting her friends.

Rainbow was already heading for the door. "No, it's fine, Rarity! I just gotta-talk to her about something! On my own! Thanks for the tip!" She was but a blip in the distance as Rarity looked on, baffled by her friend's speed. She wasn't often this excited over anything, much less Fluttershy...

_She's practically acting like a filly with her first crush!_ Rarity giggled to herself at the comparison, before returning to her work.

Rainbow now had a few more clues as to Fluttershy's whereabouts. She'd already checked the shops and knew for sure that she wasn't there, so she could cross that off the list. But now, she was almost positive that the Pegasus was avoiding her! At least, from what it sounded like so far. Pinkie had seen her, plus Applejack and Rarity. She was still keeping in contact with them. But Rainbow hadn't talked to her in what felt like forever.

_Augh! This isn't right!_ Rainbow Dash didn't want to believe that someone like Fluttershy could get upset and hold a grudge. But if she was capable of being hurt, then...

_No! I haven't talked to everypony yet!_ Rainbow grit her teeth. _There's still Twilight! Rarity said she was making calls, right? So maybe...maybe she hasn't gone to see her yet, and I can wait for her there, and clear up this whole mess! Yeah!_ With a new determination in her vivid pink eyes, Rainbow headed in the direction of the treehouse-slash-library.

Twilight almost always had the answers to everything. This time wouldn't be any different. Rainbow bit her lip.

Almost always.

**…...**

"AUGH! So you saw her too, but she left the library?"

Rainbow was now pacing around the library in a real funk, with Twilight Sparkle watching her worriedly over the top of a book. The violet pony looked to and fro as the powder blue Pegasus threw her head back, letting out an anguished wail. All she'd done was told her that Fluttershy had been there earlier, but had left after a few minutes of chatting and picking up a novel for future reading. This frenzied panic wasn't like Rainbow Dash at all!

"Rainbow, are you sure you're okay? You've been doing this for close to five minutes now." Spike, Twilight's dragon companion, was looking down at her from a ladder rung, as he carefully replaced a small stack of books in his arms without falling. Rainbow only let out another groan.

_Just like I thought! She **is** avoiding me!_ Dash was doing all she could to quell the thought of smashing her head into the wooden floor a few times for good measure. She'd never even entertained the thought of ever losing Fluttershy before, simply because the concept was too farfetched for her to consider! But now, thanks to her inconsideration, the impossible was becoming a reality.

And she hated it. No, not just that-it terrified the Pegasus. She didn't scare easily, but this was enough to make her want to hurl. Not even flying could drive away the horrible case of nerves that had sprung up in her belly. That's what she was doing now-zipping back and forth from one end of the library to the other. And after another five minutes of this, Twilight had had all she could take.

"RAINBOW!" The sudden yell caught the blue pony's ears, and she landed with a wobble, wincing at the new ringing in her canals. "Yeesh, Twilight. Those are some lungs you have on you..."

The intellectual mare shook her head slowly. "Sorry, but it was the only way I could get your attention." She looked at Rainbow with mild exasperation. "Obviously, you're looking for Fluttershy. And I don't know why, but for whatever reason, it's very important to you. _Very_. So, instead of pacing up a storm in my library"-_and driving me up the wall while you're at it_-"why don't you go out and look for Fluttershy, and fix whatever it is that's going on! She's your best friend, and I doubt that she of all people would shut you out completely!"

As antsy as she was, Rainbow had to hold on to that last sliver of hope, and pray that Twilight was right. Even if it did seem like Fluttershy was avoiding her, until she heard it from the other Pegasus' mouth herself, she couldn't say for certain that that was the case. She just had to keep searching, and summon back up that bravery that usually seemed like second nature for her to confront this problem.

Shooting Twilight and Spike a sheepish grin, Rainbow trotted to the door. "Alright, you two. And thanks for the advice. I'll be going now." Taking flight as she stepped out the door, Rainbow headed in the direction of the first lake she could think of.

Twilight looked back down at her book, ready to resume her reading. Spike had just jumped off the ladder, and was now staring at the Unicorn in curiosity. "She was acting kinda weird about Fluttershy, don't you think?"

"Uh-huh."

"Don't you think we should-"

"No, Spike. We're not getting involved this time. And I think Rainbow wants it that way." _Who am I to get in-between 'good friends', anyway?_

"Aww...alright."

**…...**

"...'pant'...'pant'...she's...she wasn't there, either..."

It was late afternoon now, and Rainbow Dash was back at Fluttershy's cottage, in a crumpled heap upon her doorstep. Her wings were bent over her, as she tried to catch her breath. It felt like she'd searched nearly all of Equestria today, what with how many places she'd been to looking for that pale yellow Pegasus pony!

After going to that first lake-and looking through it thoroughly-she'd gone to at least four more lakes, then the boggy marsh-where she'd nearly gotten snapped up by a Hydra, yikes!-before returning to her home in Cloudsdale to clean off and, finally, summoning up her courage to take a frantic last resort look for her dear friend in the couple of woods surrounding the town. But still nothing.

Now, as Rainbow Dash struggled to catch her breath and relax her wing muscles, all she could think in that moment was _What have I done? I singlehandedly drove away my best friend...my Fluttershy!_ This time, she didn't even bother to catch herself.

As she sat there, in a sort of mourning for herself and her fractured friendship, she didn't hear the sound of gently fluttering wings or light footsteps touching down on the ground behind her, until the softly tapping footsteps stopped a few inches away from her flank.

"Umm...hello, Rainbow Dash. If it's not too much trouble, may I ask why you're curled up in front of my house?"

That voice. Those melodic, sweet tones. Rainbow's vivid pink eyes shot open and she whirled around, coming face-to-face with none other than the friend she'd been trying to track down the whole day, Fluttershy. The happy yelp was practically impossible to muffle in her throat as she nearly bowled over the pale Pegasus with a flying hug. Fluttershy let out a little squeak of surprise, and nearly dropped the bags she was carrying, but managed to keep her balance and not lose her cargo.

"O-Oh my, Rainbow Dash! I didn't know you missed me that much! Maybe I should go out more often...?" At hearing this, the multicolored Pegasus clung to her friend even tighter, convincing her that this was obviously the wrong answer by the sudden lack of breath. "Or perhaps...not..."

"Fluttershy, I've been looking for you!" Finally letting go, Rainbow sat back on her heels and tried to now compose herself with her usual air of coolness. "I mean, ahem, where the hay were you? I was searching for you everywhere today! I thought you were-" That was when Rainbow caught herself, and her original worries began bubbling to the surface. She shrank back, and Fluttershy took immediate notice. Rainbow was not a pony who shied away from things. "Rainbow? Is something wrong?"

Well, she hadn't run off yet, so if Fluttershy _was_ upset at her, she was doing an awfully good job of hiding it. Or she was too polite to push her away. Rainbow let out a sigh, facing her friend with the guiltiest look on her face. Fluttershy's fears increased tenfold. "Rainbow? What's the matter?"

"I was looking all over for you because...because I, well...I thought..." Oh, boy. This was harder than she'd thought it would be. "Well, I thought...that you were angry at me, after that party last week...because of what Gilda did to you. Because _I_ brought her here." There. Now the ugly truth was out. Rainbow waited to hear Fluttershy's admission, and for her to push her away.

There was silence for a few moments. Neither pony spoke, and Rainbow's gaze was cast at the ground, as she prodded at the welcome mat. Suddenly, instead of being shoved aside, the blue Pegasus felt a pair of warm arms enveloping her in a tender hug. She was stunned. "Fluttershy?" Why would such a confession elicit a hug from her wounded friend?

"Oh, Rainbow...I was never angry at you." The words made Dash's heart skip a beat. She pulled back, to look at Fluttershy in bewilderment. "You're not? But, I mean I-"

"Gilda did hurt me with her actions, yes. I won't lie." A clump of fluffy pink mane fell in the Pegasus' aqua eyes as she told her side of the tangled tale. "But I never...I never once blamed it on you. You're not responsible for her or what she does. I appreciate that you wanted to apologize, but you...you had nothing to be sorry for." Now Fluttershy was beaming, and Rainbow felt that heat creep into her cheeks for the third time that day. "I was never mad at you."

"But then why..." Rainbow gulped, still wary of approaching the subject, "why didn't I see you for so long after that?" At this, Fluttershy giggled.

"I was just busy, I suppose. Tending to the animals and whatnot-there's been a bumper crop of new babies and a few injuries, too. I barely went out of my house as it was-this was the first time in a few days that I've finally been able to see the town and the other ponies." She proceeded to open her door. "And I figured, well...since you're involved with the weather and whatnot, that you might've been busy too, so I didn't want to bother you, either."

Now smiling, Rainbow took a step inside, keeping the door open as Fluttershy brought in all her things. "You know I'm never too busy to see you. Guess we both jumped to a few conclusions there, huh?" She scratched the back of her head with one hoof, then proceeded to close the door. "Sorry I got all worked up and scared the living daylights outta you." Fluttershy giggled once more.

"It's okay, Rainbow. It's...actually kinda nice...knowing that you care for me so much." Was that a blush on Fluttershy's face? The question was pushed to the side as, unexpectedly, she leaned in to brush her nose over Rainbow's left cheek, nuzzling her. The Pegasus blinked, as her friend headed for the kitchen with bags in tow.

"Well, since you've been waiting for me all this time...would you like to stay for dinner?" That heat wouldn't leave Rainbow alone. But this time, she didn't try to drive it off, as she nodded and responded with a "Sure. I'll help ya cook too. Since you were so nice to invite me, I mean." Did it sound like she had ulterior motives or something?

_Ah, whatever. I won't stress over it anymore._ As she followed Fluttershy into the kitchen, smiling just as wide, Rainbow could only focus on one thing.

_I'm definitely making it a point to visit Fluttershy more often from now on. After all, I didn't realize how much she meant to me...until I thought I'd actually lost her._

With that settled, Rainbow prepared to get down to work with her dearest Fluttershy to help create a yummy dinner for the both of them. Freaking out and zipping all over the place really tended to bring out one's appetite, as soon revealed by the growling in her stomach.

**A/N: And there you have it, my first 'MLP: FiM'/FlutterDash/femslash fanfic in like, forever. How did you like it? **

**I am a recently [think two weeks or so] converted Pegasister. [Took me so damn long just to watch on youtube...bad me. TT_TT"] Yes, I think this couple is adorable. The tomboy and the shy beauty. And I wanted to write a short fic for 'em, but didn't want to default to AU. So, I did my best to come up w/something that could possibly fit in w/the canon storyline, as a sort of side story, but not necessarily something that would be in the main telling. Does it work?**

**IDK, maybe I'm the only one who's ever wondered this...but how WOULD Rainbow Dash react if she found out that Gilda had made Fluttershy cry? [B/c as we all know, that's a _BIG_ no-no.] I thought it'd be interesting to explore, along w/the relationship between Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy...and yes, I wanted to see a worried Rainbow. ^^;  
**

**Did my best to keep the canon facts straight, and make the story fit in the specific time period. [This is before quite a few other canon events, after all.] Hope you enjoyed, above all else. Feedback is welcomed and appreciated. If I don't start another GrimmHime ['Bleach'] story, then I might just do a FlutterDash [or LunaShy] one. 'giggle'  
**

**Take care, everyone! Later!  
**

**=^.^=  
**


End file.
